Whitecaps' Young-Pyo Lee refuses to slow down

Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun08.13.2013

'Nobody can guarantee the future but basically right now, my physical condition is no problem,' says 36-year-old veteran right back Y.P. Lee, who is almost certainly playing, and playing well in, his final professional soccer season.Nick Procaylo
/ PNG

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VANCOUVER - Young-Pyo Lee hasn’t looked like an aging player in need of rest lately.

An hour into Saturday’s game against San Jose, the veteran 36-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps defender lost the ball to an Earthquakes player, hustled back into the play to regain possession and then sent Nigel Reo-Coker on his way for a long run that led to the winning goal by Camilo Sanvezzo.

Not bad for a fullback who seemed to tire down the stretch last season when he played 33 of the Caps’ 34 regular-season Major League Soccer matches.

The club gave Lee two games off this summer when he stayed home while the team hit the road for games in Washington, D.C., and Kansas City and that might be all the rest he needs this season — probably his last as a professional player.

“I want to play all the remaining games but I need to think about my condition,” Lee said after the Caps’ 2-0 win over visiting San Jose. “Nobody can guarantee the future but basically right now, my physical condition is no problem.”

The Whitecaps have 11 games remaining in the regular season and with one exception — a home game against Portland on Oct. 6 and an away game in Seattle three days later — they are all one week apart.

“At the moment, it seems like he should be fine,” Caps head coach Martin Rennie said after the San Jose game. “If we’re doing well and we can afford it, maybe we’ll give him another little break but I think overall, that (two-game) break has been enough.”

Lee, a Korean icon with 127 caps for his country before retiring from international soccer two years ago, will almost certainly retire as a player after the current MLS season but may very well live in Vancouver for at least two more years.

His wife, Bo-Yoon Jang, and two young daughters, Hael and Nael, have embraced the city and Lee said he’s leaning toward attending the University of B.C. to pursue business studies after he retires.

Lee, who already has a university degree in government issues and politics, has been considering his university options in Vancouver and California for the past year. He hopes to return to Korea to work in the business of soccer after he completes his university studies, which will take about 18 months.

Lee lives near UBC and the Caps have offered to help him learn about the business side of the game after he retires.

“The Whitecaps will give me the opportunity to learn about business and the operations inside the office,” he said of the offer that might be a deciding factor that keeps him in Vancouver for a while longer.

Rennie said Lee still has tremendous enthusiasm for soccer, even though his playing career is winding down.

“I asked him the other day if he’s going to miss it when he’s gone and he said he’ll miss it a lot,” he said. “It’s great that he still has that appetite and energy for the game.

“ ... He has had such a great career and a big thing for him this year was for his kids to see him play and have them remember watching him play. They’ve definitely had the chance to do that this year as he’s playing really well right now.”

The Caps brought in English trialist Damian Batt this summer as a possible replacement for Lee if he ever gets injured or needs a rest but the club chose not to sign him. Greg Klazura and Reo-Coker remain the most likely alternatives right now and Rennie also mentioned 19-year-old South African defender Ethen Sampson as a possible option.

“We think he is going to be a fantastic player so there’s maybe a chance we could involve him,” he said of the player who’s currently on the Caps’ Premier Development League roster.

SIDE KICKS: Caps’ striker Darren Mattocks returned to training Monday, 2½ weeks after undergoing a partial meniscectomy on his right knee. The 22-year-old Jamaican international has three goals and one assist in 13 appearances this season ... Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo’s goal against San Jose, when he stretched all out to get a toe on a Reo-Coker pass, has been nominated for the MLS Goal of the Week.

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Whitecaps' Young-Pyo Lee refuses to slow down

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